Just a material girl

Emigrating from England to Australia in the 1960s was an adventure for Julie Underdown and her gypsy family.

The journey was by boat and it took them through the famed Suez Canal, also known as ‘‘the Highway to India’’.

‘‘It was so exciting, it was like Raiders of the Lost Ark,’’ Julie said.

‘‘The traders sold their wares to people by sending it up on baskets to the ship.

‘‘Mum bought us toys and I got a sewing machine, my sister got a wash basin and my brother got a little dog.

‘‘To this day my sister says that’s why I sew and she cleans for a living.

‘‘She believes I was gifted with that on that day.’’

Born in a caravan to a family of gypsies, Julie never spent more than six weeks in one place.

‘‘Sometimes my dad would rent us a house somewhere in winter but I never really lived in a house until I left home,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s an amazing life to grow up in and when my sister and I go camping we feel so secure.’’

When Julie arrived in Australia as an eight-year-old, she began sewing and learning basic skills from her mother.

‘‘I had the passion for it from a young age. I made all my dolls’ clothes and my Barbies were the best dressed in town,’’ she said.

When Julie was 15, her father got her a job with a bridal dressmaker and she left school to pursue a career as a professional seamstress.

‘‘I was fortunate to work in the industry rather than from home because I learned skills about fitting and manufacturing ranges of fashion clothes,’’ she said.

‘‘It was the raw beginning of a career.’’

Years later, after Julie married and had a family, she reignited her love of ‘‘upcycling’’ — recycling second hand garments into new clothing.

‘‘It was a great time when everyone was turning their denim jeans into skirts during the era of ABAA and people were converting their straightlegged jeans into flairs,’’ she said.

‘‘At the time people didn’t support op shops the way they do now, back 20 or 30 years ago there was a huge stigma that op shops were dirty places,’’ she said.

‘‘There was an abundance of materials to be able to create with and you paid 20 cents or 50 cents for a garment.’’

During a stint in Carnarvon, while on the search for greener pastures, Julie was sewing for a retail fashion outlet.

The family moved to Bunbury, wanting to live in a regional city, for the education opportunities it offered.

Julie also took the opportunity to formalise her skills by going to TAFE.

‘‘As soon as we arrived in Bunbury I said I wanted to teach sewing,’’ she said.

‘‘It took me 10 years to complete the course doing it part time and then I was fortunate enough to get a position at the TAFE.’’

Julie, alongside fellow lecturer Dot Stene, took to rewriting the fashion design and technology course.

‘‘We had such big plans but Dot passed away after a few years,’’ she said.

‘‘She had cancer and didn’t know how quickly it would progress.

‘‘She left a huge hole and big shoes to fill and I did my best to fill them.’’

Julie has continued to grow her passion for teaching by running sewing skills classes out of the Stirling Street Arts Centre.

‘‘The response to the classes has been overwhelming,’’ she said.

‘‘Women want to know how to sew clothes to fit them and to look good.

‘‘That’s what I like to teach so we are all on the same path.’’